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Cassius , a 120 - year - old crocodile living in captivity in Australia , is " well-chosen and healthy " and will last " for year to come , " expert who impart his annual wellness check say .
" Cassius is such a magnificent , beautiful boy,“Sally Isberg , managing director at the Center for Crocodile Research in Australia who lead the assessment , said in a picture shared with Live Science . " He ’s just an absolutely entrancing fibre . "
Cassius recently turned 120 years old, but experts say he has a few more years left in him.
At 18 foot ( 5.5 meters ) long , Cassius is the world ’s big crocodile hold up in captivity andrecently turn 120 , or thereabouts . A wellness assessment comport June 19 find " no reasonableness to believe Cassius will not live for years to total , " Toody Scott , a crocodile keeper at the Marineland park where Cassius now lives , told Live Science in an electronic mail .
Researchers do n’t know how long brine crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) can live for , but they can give out of old age , saidAdam Rosenblatt , an assistant professor of biology at the University of North Florida .
" My own train guess is that the maximum lifespan for crocodilians as a group is in the range of 100 - 120 , but they would only reach those ages in immurement , " Robenblatt distinguish Live Science in an electronic mail . " In the wild most crocodilian believably do n’t live past 60 . "
Cassius may be extremely sensitive to sound and vibrations, such as those produced by a boat engine.
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Cassius has drop more than 35 year at the Marineland Crocodile Park on Green Island . He was captured on a cattle spread in 1984 after he attacked livestock , having wander in the wild for up to 80 geezerhood .
The researchers noted that the gigantic croc becomes skittish when keepers use machinery around the park , which may stem from trauma he suffered during his time in the wild .
keeper assure Isberg that Cassius " expose laughable behavior " and " reacts badly " when they use loud equipment and machinery near his enclosure .
" He was taken from a post in the wild where I sense that he was n’t very happy , " Isberg said .
Cassius was missing the tip of his snout when he was catch , direct research worker to believe he was responsible for attacks on boats that — at the time — were pin on another crocodile called Sweetheart .
" He had the lead of his rostrum broken , which you could get from assault a propeller,“Grahame Webb , a crocodile researcher who participated in the capture , toldABC News .
Crocodileshave highly sensitive mouth , and Cassius may be more delicate than most .
" The scales on the front of their mouth are all about pressure receptors ; they ’re all about honing in on prey , " Isberg say . " Maybe those gravy holder motors [ create ] extra vibration that quite irritated him . When a croc gets gravel by something , the only elbow room he can express that irritation is to go to bite at it , " Isberg say .
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But now , in captivity , Cassius appear to be " a well-chosen , goodish male child , " Isberg state .
The ancient crocodile will undergo another checkup next year . appraisal are typically done through observation to obviate cause the animate being emphasis . " Crocs are acme predatory animal and have a very heightened combat or flying response , " Scott said . " If trammel , the flight of steps reply is spark off and it can take some fourth dimension for the crocodile to recover . "
In the meanwhile , keepers will ensure Cassius catch enough sun to stay goodish by pull in the tree diagram canopy over his pen .
" A stress - free crocodile mostly will ego - bring around any injuries and be spare from disease , as they have a stronger immune system [ than stressed crocodiles ] , " Scott said .
